466 pages in hardcover, CROWN OF WAR AND SHADOW is the first in a new series, Kingdoms of the Compass, by NY Times bestseller author J.R. Ward.  I am a huge fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by Ward, but most of her other series don’t work for me.  Kingdoms of the Compass joins the ranks of Ward books that are not something I enjoy or can recommend.

This weighty tome feels at least twice as long as it needs to due to endless descriptions of the most mundane things.  And yet the storyline feels overly complex and confusing as well.  There are some unusual plot twists that I would probably be more intrigued by if I weren’t so beaten down by the slog through this never- ending story about annoying characters.

I dislike both of the main characters in this romantasy.  Our heroine, Sorrel, repeatedly demonstrates that she is Too Stupid To Live, or TSTL. I wanted to shake her until her teeth fell out so many times as I was reading.  The hero is a mercenary, oh- so-imaginatively named Merc (insert eyeroll here).  The Insta-Lust between Merc and Sorrel was strong, and that’s a big turn-off to me.

I was initially surprised that this book showed up on the romantasy scene with so little fanfare for such a popular author, but perhaps it’s because the marketing department knew it could not live up to expectations?  Weighing in as a “Doorstopper” due to its sheer volume of words, Ward’s CROWN OF WAR AND SHADOW brings us two unlikeable characters on an endless journey.  Ward can do so much better, and I hope she will again.